Lions in Winter

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Another Habs loss has brought with it a new storm of attention and controversy to this team. The room that was so strong in winning times, is no more immune to division when losses pile up than anyone else, it seems.

Up to this point, I have been giving Therrien and the team, quite honestly, the benefit of the doubt. I believe they are trying and probably performing to the level that their talent allows and finding out just how much losing one key player can hurt in a league with formidable parity.

Last night was a bit of a final straw for me. Certainly with Therrien. Never mind that I watched him coach a team throughout a third period that lacked the lustre a playoff-hungry team should have; what triggered my disdain came post game. Subban had just tripped in the offensive zone losing the puck to a 21-year-old rookie with 18 points, a play that led some seconds later to a rather pretty winning goal for the Avalanche. Michel Therrien, while continuing to delude himself (or trying to delude us) was talking about what he liked about the game, how the Canadiens had played a good game. Except for one "indivialistic" play.

Hogwash.

This simply was not true. The team played alright, but this game was a toss up at that point. A team playing 0.200 hockey and hoping for better can't look to 50/50 affairs with other non-playoff teams as good games, not on a multi-game losing streak. It was progress, but not a good game. They let up two leads and yet again failed to score enough to matter.

The team played badly compared to what should be expected by a coach in his position. he was protecting his team.

All that is fair enough, and we take it for what it is, but then Therrien pinches in at the blue line in a vain attempt to save his career in the NHL. Instead of taking blame or laying it in the realm of luck, he lays it squarely at the feet of one player. And this player is not just Lucas Lessio. This player is the team's best player, perhaps its only truly good player at all. Therrien blames Subban for being individualistic.

This to me is selfish to the extreme. He preaches togetherness and team, yet creates discord and division. And this is in front of the press. We can only imagine now what might have been spewed from under the angry brow during a post-game locker-room rant.

For a coach with little else going for him (total lack of creativity, total inability to move away from favourites), this declaration is a final straw. For someone who loves irony, it will be satisfying if the comment that stubborn Michel thought would deflect attention from him would be the one to bring his ultimate demise in Montreal.

On Subban

To comment on Subban's play, I will say this. Very unfortunate, but I agree with the player. He was trying to do the right thing. And Subban is probably the player with the best edgework I have ever witnessed. It was probably fair of him to think he wouldn't fall -- this wasn't Jason Ward.

Furthermore, Subban is definitely the best player on the Canadiens right now, and definitely either the top or top two player in the system for this team and likely to play for this team in the next 5 years. in other words, he is simply indispensable to the team, the owner, the GM, the coach and the other core players.

Presumably, if Therrien doesn't like Subban he would see him traded for someone of equal value. A very unlikely scenario. Tons of cap issues, never mind finding a player of equal value...

Trading a coach though, that can be done in an instant. There are many available instants before the next game. It can't happen too soon now.

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

Back from my excursion to Montreal and my record of never seeing a team in the Montreal system, lose live is still standing. 5-1 over the Edmonton Oilers and a 2-1 shoot out win over Carolina. So what happened? What changed this weekend?

The all-star game wasn't the rejuvenating boost for the Canadiens that I'd hoped it would be. Back to back 4-2 losses to Philadelphia and Buffalo were disheartening and I wasn't optimistic going into the weekend. It seems nothing had changed over the all-star break; not the coach, not the players, not the GM, not the style of play, not the team mentality... nothing.

The Oilers, on the other hand, had seen the return of their best player in Connor McDavid and had responded in kind with a 5-1 win over Columbus and a 7-2 win over Ottawa. They were hot and the Habs were not. I was asked before the game for my prediction and my reply was, "My head says 2-1 Edmonton but my heart says 5-1 Montreal." My friends all laughed it off as we headed for the Bell Centre. The Bell Centre; the new Cathedral for professional hockey, was truly majestic. On the way there I was swept away in a sea of red shirts in through the entrance and amidst the hallowed halls of the mecca of hockey in Canada.

I watched stars, past and present, tell us what it meant to them to dawn the CH an heard the fans erupt when the Canadiens stepped onto the ice for their first of a two game set on Superbowl weekend. I sat in blissful admiration as the goals poured in. A nice fake by Subban then a quality pass to Plekanec so he could one time it off Gallager's shinpad and into the net for the first goal on the powerplay put Montreal up 1-0 seven and a half minutes into the game. I knew it was important for Montreal to get the first one and also for the power play to get going. I also knew that we'd been finding ways to lose lately and that we'd need more. The Bell Centre faithful knew it too.

We didn't have to wait long. Eller gobbled up a rebound an had enough poise not to panic and dished it to Fleischmann who was breaking out up the wing. Eller then skated hard to get himself into a good shooting position. When the puck was dropped back to him he was calm as he used the time he had and potted it glove side just inside the post and over the left pad. Having a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission seemed to life the spirits of the crowd.

If we thought the first period was a nice uplift from the hockey we'd be getting over the past two months, boy were we in for a treat in the second. A good forecheck by Gallagher and Galchenyuk forced an Edmonton turnover. A pass across the goal mouth by Plekanec was redirected in by an Edmonton defenseman but with Gallagher and Galchenyuk crashing the net, had the pass gotten through, there would have been trouble. 3-0 and the crowd begin to relax. With a "Go Habs! Go!" chant on the tips of our tongues Gallagher started a breakout about 6 minutes later. Plekanec took he puck to the left wing and found Subban racing in to join the play. Pleks returned the favour from the first period and laid the puck over, catching Subban in stride. A slapper that the goalie got a piece off, but had enough mustard on it to still tuck in just inside the post. With the Habs up 4-0 the atmosphere was waking up.

We got an early wakeup call as Edmonton scored early in the third, short handed. It was obvious, with a 4-1 lead that Montreal had begun to play more defensive, just happy with the win but they had just enough in them to make my prediction come through. Buzzing around the left wing again, he waited until Gilbert identified the space in the slot. A tape to tape pass from Plekanec and Gilbert did a good job to redirect the puck in to make it 5-1 and send this Habs fan away with a grin that would shamethe Cheshire Cat to shame.

The 5 goals was a real treat to watch but Edmonton's defense is like a wheel of Swiss Cheese only it doesn't go as well with crackers, apples, dry cured meat, and a nice wine. The impressive part to Montreal's game tonight was how they limited Edmonton's scoring chances. Edmonton might not be a good team but the kids can score. 12 goals in the previous 2 games and we all should have been genuinely concerned that this could have gotten ugly. Our entire team played sound defence, back checked hard, and played smart hockey in their own end. Couple that with some timely saves and Montreal played a very good 1goal performance.

Game 2 saw Montreal play their second matinee game in as many nights against a Carolina that traveled from Winnipeg the night before. Still giddy from the game prior, for the first time in a long time I actually expected Montreal to win. Unfortunately my seat wasn't even warm before Carolina made it 1-0. I'm we were all worried that Saturday afternoon was a flash in the pan and we were back to our losing was. More importantly my record of never seeing a team in the Montreal system lose, live was in jeopardy. Thankfully, Captain Max would come to the rescue. Subban did well to keep the puck in and get it to Markov who, I turn, found a wide open Pacioretty. That was a goalscorers goal to tie it up; a hard wrister over the right shoulder of Cam Ward. Ben Scrivens was the benefactor of another solid defensive effort and, thankfully, Andrighetto potted one in the shoot out for the win.

Aside from the treat of a rare two game winning street I gained some insight into my beloved Canadiens and the city that houses them, but perhaps another time. Tonight will be a true test of the broken curse and a Tampa Bay lightening fresh off a 5-1 loss to Ottawa and heading into Montreal for their second game in as may nights is ripe for the picking. Fingers crossed that this accursed losing slump is finally over.

Wednesday, February 03, 2016

When Montreal lost it's second game in a row to Columbus (5-2) this time at home, my review of the game was scathing. For the life of me, I couldn't pick 6 players for the dome after that abysmal effort. To be quite frank, if the Montreal Canadiens who skated that night were all I had to choose from, I don't think I'd bother playing. I'd probably just take the loss, and save myself the agony of trying to miraculously come up with a win with that lot. Despite what Therrien says, despite what Pacioretty says, despite what Bergevin says, that is a team that has quit. It is tough to get motivated to write about a team that can't get motivated to play. It is tough to write about a team when the GM is betraying you as a fan and with that said I can understand why the players are finding it tough to continue playing under this regime.

I had hoped the all star break would reinvigorate us all. The beautiful story that was John Scott did that, at least for my writing. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the play of our beloved Habs. With a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last night, from what I saw it was more of the same. I didn't see the whole game though and that's why I didn't put up a game report. I was actually busy getting the final preparations ready for a trip. A very important trip. As a forty year old (almost) Habs fan living in St. John's, Newfoundland I was ecstatic when the farm team came to visit us this year. I have seen as many games as I can, and despite their record, I have yet to see them lose. To see De La Rose, Andrighetto, and Carr, to name a few, down here has been a real treat. They're not the best team, but the novelty of seeing the future of my team in action live, has me blinded to some mediocre play. Again, they've never lost when I've watched them live so I've always left Mile One Centre with a smile on my face.

Couple the arrival of the baby Habs with the tremendous start the big club had and around the beginning of December I did two things. I approached the Lions of Winter and asked if I could help get this blog back up and running. It was always my favourite blog to read and debate on and I hated seeing it inactive for so long. I felt that a run like the Canadiens were having deserved to be written about on as many forums as possible and so the Lions in Winter was reborn.

I also decided to treat myself. Having been, for the duration of my membership in Canadien fandom, been a fan from afar, I booked a ticket to Montreal and bought tickets to see the Canadiens this weekend, live. With the way they were playing I figured we'd be partying in the streets, singing "Ole" until the wee hours of the morning, wondering what awards Subban and Price would take home, and taking about who Montreal matches up better going into the playoffs... and then the arse came out of her (that's a Newfoundland expression that accurately describes Montreal since December 2).

It is in preparation for that trip that I was busy last night and thus won't be doing a blog about the game versus the Flyers. I'm starting to wonder, though, if perhaps I jinxed the Habs. In early December I did two things, I started up this blog again and I bought that ticket and since then they have stunk. Maybe it has nothing to do with the lack of scoring, the terrible own zone giveaways, or inconsistent, sometimes subpar goaltending. Perhaps Therrien's lack of creativity is more minor than we think it is. Bergevin might be a brilliant GM after all. There's a good chance, looking back on the events that have led up to this point that this is all my fault. I hope the Montreal locals don't find out about it until after I've come and gone. I'll surely be lynched if they do.

I do have a plan to help counter this essence of evil I've released on the Canadiens in December. I will take an extra passenger from Newfoundland and hope that his positive Karma will travel well and fill the Bell Centre upon his arrival. He would be the newest IceCap, all-star game MVP, John Scott. John, this past weekend, was the epitome of everything that is right about the game. With grace and poise he handled a trade that attempted to bury him in the minors. He eloquently, yet firmly put the NHL executives in their place. Then proceeded to play the best hockey of his career. Just his presence might remind the rest of the players everything there is to love about this game. Remind the players to be thankful of their opportunity in the NHL because it can be fleeting.

If the infectious nature of John Scott's mere presence in the dressing room isn't enough maybe his presence on the bench might be. The boobirds are out in Montreal and rightfully so. There's only so much, knowledgeable hockey fans can take before they let you know about it. If John Scott stepped onto the ice and did anything positive I have no doubt the positive energy would spill into the crowd. We need that. The players need to hear it too. The positive energy that flowed through the blue, white, and red in the first quarter of the season has been sucked dry (either by waking up this blog or purchasing tickets for Superbowl Weekend). Maybe John Scott could pummel someone at centre ice (not my cup of tea but at this point I'd be willing to try it) or stand in front of the opposition goal for some serious net presence. On top of that, playing John Scott is actually a line option Michel Therrien hasn't tried yet this season (one of the few).

Regardless, the season, that started off with the whisperings of a Stanley Cup run that might have been, is, for all intents and purposes, over. Carey Price is hurt and it isn't good. It's likely not the groin injury we were all led to believe it was. Word is now it's MCL on his right knee. The same knee he hurt against the New York Rangers in 2014 (thanks Krieder). Bergevin seems to be sticking to his guns and his support of Therrien. It's likely Michel will get another shot at coaching Montreal this fall with a (hopefully) healthy Carey Price. So forget about the post season this year. Therrien is nothing without Price in the net and this team has quit.

It's not the end of the world. I think we're so far out of it, I'm no longer worried about Bergevin making a stupid trade to save the season. No matter what he does this season is lost. The price for Drouin was obviously too high (for a kid in his second season to quit on his AHL affiliate likely brought his value down lower than Yzerman was prepared to accept). If we keep losing at this rate we will finish bottom three. That's okay. Auston Matthews is that good. Maybe Bergevin sees the opportunity to draft that elusive top centreman this year. Maybe he's going to let Therrien take one for the team, have us finish last, then sack him once we get this, potential, offensive juggernaut in our lineup. Maybe doing the NHL a favour by taking John Scott all but assures the top draft in the "random lottery" (wink, wink).

As much as they're frustrating the heck out of us they won't be this awful for long. After all, they're not the Leafs.

Ole

On a personal note, I'm not sure I'll get a blog up tomorrow as I'll be prepping for my trip to La Belle Province. I will have a very different perspective for a blog next week after seeing a game live.